Alabama Sen. Luther Strange Co-Sponsors Hearing Protection Act

Alabama Senator Luther Strange has signed on as a co-sponsor of a bill that would remove a $200 tax stamp applied to suppressor purchases as well as eradicate the current registration process, which critics say is unnecessary and frustrating.

Strange is now one of 15 co-sponsors of the bill. Its official name is the Hearing Protection Act, as suppressors can help prevent hearing loss from regularly shooting firearms.

“As an avid sportsman, I know that repeated exposure to loud noise can have real life effects. By protecting recreational shooters, animals, and nearby communities from hearing loss and disruption, suppressors serve an important function for those who enjoy the great outdoors of Alabama. I am proud to co-sponsor this important fix that ensures that silencing devices are accessible to gun enthusiasts, and that sprawling regulations do not get in the way of common sense.”

The bill, introduced by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID), would amend outdated federal law to extend the same regulatory and tax treatment as long-barreled guns to guns with silencers. It would also replace the cumbersome federal transfer process for purchasing silencers and replace it with an immediate National Instant Criminal Background Check (NICS). Under current law, separate licensing and a $200 tax apply to the purchase of silencers on top of those imposed on firearm purchases.